“What are the risks of abdominoplasty?”
I'm going to have a C-section, and I want to have an abdominoplasty after I recover. What are the risks of abdominoplasty?
3 Answers
If done by an experienced plastic surgeon they are infected, and bleeding, and they need to have it done again.
The risks, as with most plastic surgeries, are many, but the vast majority—if they occur—are minor, and the major risks are avoidable and preventable. This is the typical list of risks I disclose when I help my patients complete their informed consent form for abdominoplasty:
Bleeding, infection, damage to nearby structures (nerves, arteries, veins, lymphatics, muscle, bone, viscera (organs) such as lungs, bowel, bladder), hematoma, seroma, hemothorax, pneumothorax, wound healing delay, skin loss/necrosis, partial or complete loss of the umbilicus (navel), asymmetry, undesired cosmetic result, need for reoperation, contour irregularity, scarring/deformity, chronic pain/numbness, postoperative constipation, ileus (slowing of bowel function) or bowel obstruction, and risks of general anesthesia (deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, stroke, even death).
Any plastic surgeon who does not go through these risks with you at the time of your consultation or when you complete your preoperative visit (consent form signing) is failing to fulfill his or her standard of care for you.
Despite what looks like a long and distinguished list of some scary-sounding complications (note that death is among them!), a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon is sufficiently skilled, knowledgeable, and responsible to get you through your abdominoplasty safely, ethically, and efficaciously. Never “settle” for a “plastic” surgeon who claims to have training or credentials other than those provided by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
Bleeding, infection, damage to nearby structures (nerves, arteries, veins, lymphatics, muscle, bone, viscera (organs) such as lungs, bowel, bladder), hematoma, seroma, hemothorax, pneumothorax, wound healing delay, skin loss/necrosis, partial or complete loss of the umbilicus (navel), asymmetry, undesired cosmetic result, need for reoperation, contour irregularity, scarring/deformity, chronic pain/numbness, postoperative constipation, ileus (slowing of bowel function) or bowel obstruction, and risks of general anesthesia (deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, stroke, even death).
Any plastic surgeon who does not go through these risks with you at the time of your consultation or when you complete your preoperative visit (consent form signing) is failing to fulfill his or her standard of care for you.
Despite what looks like a long and distinguished list of some scary-sounding complications (note that death is among them!), a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon is sufficiently skilled, knowledgeable, and responsible to get you through your abdominoplasty safely, ethically, and efficaciously. Never “settle” for a “plastic” surgeon who claims to have training or credentials other than those provided by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
The general risks are bleeding, infection, seroma (fluid collection), hematoma (blood collection), asymmetry, deformity, numbness, umbilical (belly button) blood supply issues, skin blood flow issues, incision dehiscence (when incision opens, anesthesia complications. Although these complications are rare they can occur.
